01.

About The film

WELL GROOMED, the short film, is a journey into the colorful world of competitive creative dog grooming - diving deep into the passion these specialized groomers bring to their work and the mentorship needed to take them to the highest levels.

Following two creative dog groomers – Adriane Pope and Angela Kumpe - as they transform their poodles into fantastical creations for the year’s most intensive competition, Well Groomed explores the niche world and shows the love, compassion, dedication and heartbreak involved in creating art.

WELL GROOMED, the short film, is available on VIMEO STAFF PICK PREMIERE and will be available on THE ATLANTIC on January 8th.

The short has launched a feature documentary film which is currently in post-production! The feature film will pick up where the short film leaves off, and follow four groomers from across the country as they perfect their artwork and spend time with their poodles.

02.

See the Film

and The Atlantic starting JANUARY 8th.

03.

Images

04.

Short Film Team Members

Rebecca Stern

Director | Producer

Rebecca Stern is a documentary director, producer, and impact producer. She is the producer of Tre| Maison | Dasan, a feature documentary exploring the lives of children affected by parental incarceration. She was the associate producer of “the bomb,” an innovative installation and film experience which premiered as the Closing Night Event of the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. Her previous work includes the Academy Award nominated documentary CARTEL LAND. She was a staff member of Picture Motion for 2 years, the leading film impact firm, managing film marketing campaigns for acclaimed documentaries including FOOD CHAINS (2016 BritDoc Impact Award). WELL GROOMED adapts this short, and is her first documentary feature.

Dana Kalmey

Producer

Dana Kalmey is a producer and jack of all documentary film trades and more. She was Associate Producer on (DIS)HONESTY - THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES and Production Assistant on E-TEAM. She is currently Associate Producer for feature documentary, TRAPPED, Producer of doc short, WELL GROOMED, and is completing her debut feature-length sports documentary, THE LAST 90 MINUTES. She has lived lives as architect, college soccer coach, and architecture teacher in Cambodia at The Green Gecko Project. Dana holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Philadelphia University and a Master of Fine Arts in Social Documentary Film from the School of Visual Arts. She guest lectures at New York University and is an avid soccer player in co-ed adult leagues throughout NYC.

Samantha Panger

Cinematographer

Samantha Panger is a New York based cinematographer. Her work on short documentaries such as WELL GROOMED and JUST THE MUSCLE traveled the festival circuit in the US and won Best Short at the Toronto Independent Film Festival. Her work with Collective Sex on the short NAMES OF WOMEN has also been on tour around the country and in collegiate settings such as Colgate and Wesleyan inspiring women and their partners to share their stories without judgement. She is currently in pre production with Collective Sex on MERCY MISTRESS a pilot that will explore the world of the kink community through their own stories with an emphasis on honoring marginalized voices. She is also working on a feature doc ALTERATIONS that will explore genetic testing and how it can influence life decisions.

Lindsay Lindenbaum

Co-Producer | Editor

Lindsay Lindenbaum graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.A. in Film & Media Studies and Psychology, and the School of Visual Arts with an M.F.A. in Social Documentary Film. She has directed and edited two award-winning short films that have screened at various festivals are the world. Her previous film, SCATTERED was also finalist at the 2014 Student Academy Awards, and received the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Editing from the Brooklyn Film Festival. She is currently working on TOMBOY, a feature length documentary about the world of female drummers.